Turns out, the probable Derby favorite was still on West Coast time after flying east on Monday. While 5 a.m. was rise-and-shine time in Kentucky, it was still the middle of the night back at his California base.

"I was concerned he might be tired," Sherman said. "Then I got to thinking it was only 2 o'clock California time. He was just sacked out, sleeping away."

The Santa Anita Derby winner quickly snapped to, and headed out to the track for his first tour of Churchill Downs. Shrugging off any jet lag, California Chrome was alert and eager for a jog over the surfaced still muddy from Monday's heavy rain.

"My exercise rider said it was the best the horse has felt in a long time," Sherman said. "He enjoyed the track a lot. He was different, more aggressive since he got here. So that was a good sign."

In a break with tradition, California Chrome did not wear a yellow Derby saddle cloth because of a typo. His name was misspelled as Califorina Chrome. Churchill Downs has ordered a corrected one.

The chestnut colt with the prominent white blaze completed his serious training at Los Alamitos Race Course before heading to Kentucky. The mission for Sherman and his team will be keeping California Chrome happy and focused from now until Saturday. Most of the remaining drills will involve getting the horse familiar with the paddock and starting gate.

Sherman doesn't believe the noise from an anticipated crowd of over 140,000 on Saturday will bother his horse.

"He loves people," the trainer said. "He's a people horse. He had a lot of attention in California before he left. There were wall-to-wall people all around him and he never turned a hair."

This will be the first time California Chrome, winner of his last four races by a combined 24 ¼ lengths, races outside his home state.